Drones – Past, Present and Future

Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones are flying objects either steered by ‘pilots’ from the ground or by a pre-programmed code. Drones are widely used nowadays, even by many videographers for filming and recording events and occasions.

The biggest reason of their use is – they can fly for longer durations, unlike the manned aircraft. There are many different types of drones but it can be broadly characterised into two categories:

• Those used for surveillance purposes.
• Those armed with missiles and bombs.

The first anecdote that we hear about the strategic usage of an Unmanned flying object was in the 1860s during American Civil War, when Union and Confederate forces launched balloons loaded with explosives, intending them to explode inside the enemy territory.

Later an Operation Aphrodite was launched by US army during WWII to use unmanned bombers to devastating selected sites. After that, many military operations have used drones and have been very successful.

Apart from these armed operations, drones are extensively used for:

• Weather detection – Potentially, they could sample the atmosphere in difficult to reach, remote locations where weather data is scarce.  The data received could then be integrated into prediction models – improving their resolution and reliability.

• 3D mapping – Analysts used stereoscopes to hunt for visual clues about enemy movements on photos that were stitched together to form mosaic maps.

• Monitoring wildlife – “In particular it would be very useful to help find large gull chicks that hide in the dense vegetation on the island, using an infrared camera. It would be interesting to see if a small loudspeaker could be attached to use as a scarring method for playing alarm calls to frighten large gulls from the island in spring and autumn.

• Farming – Robotic drones and sensors compile a large amount of the Big Data, farmers are using to increase agility and manage risk. One-third of the rice fields in Japan already is tended to by robotic helicopters. Drones can be cost-effective because they use fewer chemicals, but only with specialty crops and crops that grow on uneven terrain.

• Search and rescue – Because the outer frame moves independently of the motor inside, it can also maintain altitude when colliding with objects. The shape also allows it to roll across ceilings and floors as needed. These drone can be cheaply made, providing an inexpensive and potentially invaluable tool in search and rescue operations.

• Law enforcement – Recently, police in Tokyo established the first “drone squad” tasked with capturing nuisance drones flown by the public, as well as patrolling important government buildings.

Future Application of Drones:-

• Discriminatory targeting – It can discriminate the right and the wrong person and hence automatically alarms or targets the wrong one.

• Night vision – It may be fitted with night vision devices to view over the non-lighted areas, this will be very beneficial on border surveillance.

• Video analysis – It would analyse the video itself and with the help of predefined instructions, would take a decision to act accordingly.

• See-through imaging – The next level could be of such devices that can see through the walls and doors, allowing us to view who and what is inside.

• Tracking – It will self-track a person or an object which is on the move and help the authorities to chase and get hold of it.

The drone technology is not just helping governments and allied agencies to handle the defence and security issues but many business organisations have found meaning in it. Drones are being used in logistics by Amazon and many others. You think drones can give a boost to your business we at LetsNurture can make it reality .